Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian national technology group ROSTEC, in a rare occasion, opened its factory to visitors on August 28.

Vadim Ligay, a senior executive of Kazan Helicopters, said the orders from Vietnam hade decreased recently. One of the reasons is that there are more and more new models for Vietnam to choose, and Vietnam needs some more time to make choices.

However, Vadim said he still can see a bright future in the Vietnamese market, a loyal customer. The demand is expected to increase as Vietnam needs helicopters for search and rescue, firefighting, patient transportation, oil exploration and VIP transportation.

He said that Hanoi and HCM City are considering buying helicopters for firefighting. There are many choices, including specialized ones such as ANSAT, multi-function ones such as KA-32A11BC or modified MI-17.

According to Vadim, MI-17 is a MI-8 version, medium-size transport helicopter, which can be installed with firefighting equipment as ordered by clients. 

The Russian company can upgrade original models and provide products suitable to different purposes as requested.

In late 2014, the Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention of the Ministry of Public Security asked to buy six helicopters for the northern, central and southern regions. 

In June 2015, the department’s deputy director Nguyen Van Son said the Prime Minister had agreed on establishing three firefighting centers equipped with helicopters.

Son said Hanoi is considering buying helicopters at a suitable moment. In late 2011, a fire occurred at the EVN 33-storey building on Cua Bac street in the central district of Hoan Kiem.

More recently, the HCM City People’s Committee approved a plan under which HCM City would buy four firefighting helicopters by 2020. Two more will be bought in the next five years.

Valery Pashko, Kazan Helicopters’ marketing director, praised Vietnamese engineers and technicians’ ability in helicopter maintenance. 

BHC, the Bien Hoa Helicopter Repair joint venture, is one of very few enterprises licensed to provide MI helicopter services outside the former Soviet Union territory. 

BHC has been providing high-quality maintenance services to Vietnam and other Asian countries, including India, Laos and Cambodia.

The Russian manufacturer makes every effort to optimize the design and modernize technology to increase helicopters’ life expectancy by 20-25 percent, while BHC’s high-quality maintenance services also help prolong helicopters’ lives.

Vadim said the Russian Helicopter Corporation was planning to boost exports to Asian markets, including China, India and Vietnam.

Tien Phong